Camping stool

ABSTRACT

A camping stool includes a plurality of seat members and legs pivotally coupled to a pair of hub assemblies. Each hub assembly includes a plurality of tracks. A shaft extends between the pair of hub assemblies. The plurality of tracks extends along a length of each hub assembly and is aligned with the shaft. The plurality of seat members and legs are inserted into the plurality of tracks along a base portion. The plurality of seat members and the plurality of legs are pivotally coupled within the plurality of tracks through a rack and pinon gear system. The track defining a plane of rotation of the plurality of seat members and the plurality of legs.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS:

This application claims the benefit of earlier filing date and right of priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/842,381, filed 2 May 2020 the contents, of which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention

The present application relates to a camping stool, and more particularly to a collapsible stool using a rack and pinion design.

2. Description of Related Art

Camping stools are prevalent for outdoor use. These can be bulky and hard to transport. Often the designs include an assembly of multiple components upon deployment for use. Some designs have been made to make a stool that collapses and requires not assembly or disassembly, but such designs have disadvantages. Namely, some of these designs rely on cable pulley systems that are difficult to ensure operation over time. A number of designs are bulky and have increased weight. Additionally, some designs require a large amount of space even in a relatively collapsed position.

Although strides have been made to provide improved camping stools that collapse, shortcomings remain. It is desired that an assembly be provided that is collapsible, lightweight, and durable.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the present application to provide a camping stool that includes a plurality of seat members and legs pivotally coupled to a pair of hub assemblies. Each hub assembly includes a plurality of tracks. A shaft extends between the pair of hub assemblies. The plurality of tracks extends along a length of each hub assembly and is aligned with the shaft. The plurality of seat members and legs are inserted into the plurality of tracks along a base portion. The plurality of seat members and the plurality of legs are pivotally coupled within the plurality of tracks through a rack and pinon gear system. The track defining a plane of rotation of the plurality of seat members and the plurality of legs.

Ultimately the invention may take many embodiments. In these ways, the present invention overcomes the disadvantages inherent in the prior art. The more important features have thus been outlined in order that the more detailed description that follows may be better understood and to ensure that the present contribution to the art is appreciated. Additional features will be described hereinafter and will form the subject matter of the claims that follow.

Many objects of the present application will appear from the following description and appended claims, reference being made to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification wherein like reference characters designate corresponding parts in the several views.

Before explaining at least one embodiment of the present invention in detail, it is to be understood that the embodiments are not limited in its application to the details of construction and the arrangements of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The embodiments are capable of being practiced and carried out in various ways. Also it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting.

As such, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception, upon which this disclosure is based, may readily be utilized as a basis for the designing of other structures, methods and systems for carrying out the various purposes of the present design. It is important, therefore, that the claims be regarded as including such equivalent constructions insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present application.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The novel features believed characteristic of the application are set forth in the appended claims. However, the application itself, as well as a preferred mode of use, and further objectives and advantages thereof, will best be understood by reference to the following detailed description when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a camping stool frame according to an embodiment of the present application.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged top view of a hub assembly in the camping stool frame of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a partial cut away inner view of the hub assembly of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a secondary cut away view of the hub assembly of FIG. 2.

While the embodiments and method of the present application is susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiments thereof have been shown by way of example in the drawings and are herein described in detail. It should be understood, however, that the description herein of specific embodiments is not intended to limit the application to the particular embodiment disclosed, but on the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the process of the present application as defined by the appended claims.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Illustrative embodiments of the preferred embodiment are described below. In the interest of clarity, not all features of an actual implementation are described in this specification. It will of course be appreciated that in the development of any such actual embodiment, numerous implementation-specific decisions must be made to achieve the developer's specific goals, such as compliance with system-related and business-related constraints, which will vary from one implementation to another. Moreover, it will be appreciated that such a development effort might be complex and time-consuming but would nevertheless be a routine undertaking for those of ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of this disclosure.

In the specification, reference may be made to the spatial relationships between various components and to the spatial orientation of various aspects of components as the devices are depicted in the attached drawings. However, as will be recognized by those skilled in the art after a complete reading of the present application, the devices, members, apparatuses, etc. described herein may be positioned in any desired orientation. Thus, the use of terms to describe a spatial relationship between various components or to describe the spatial orientation of aspects of such components should be understood to describe a relative relationship between the components or a spatial orientation of aspects of such components, respectively, as the embodiments described herein may be oriented in any desired direction.

The embodiments and method will be understood, both as to its structure and operation, from the accompanying drawings, taken in conjunction with the accompanying description. Several embodiments of the assembly may be presented herein. It should be understood that various components, parts, and features of the different embodiments may be combined together and/or interchanged with one another, all of which are within the scope of the present application, even though not all variations and particular embodiments are shown in the drawings. It should also be understood that the mixing and matching of features, elements, and/or functions between various embodiments is expressly contemplated herein so that one of ordinary skill in the art would appreciate from this disclosure that the features, elements, and/or functions of one embodiment may be incorporated into another embodiment as appropriate, unless otherwise described.

Referring now to the Figures wherein like reference characters identify corresponding or similar elements in form and function throughout the several views. The following Figures describe embodiments of the present application and its associated features. With reference now to the Figures, embodiments of the present application are herein described. It should be noted that the articles “a”, “an”, and “the”, as used in this specification, include plural referents unless the content clearly dictates otherwise.

The camping stool of the present application is configured to locate a plurality of legs and seat members about two hub assemblies that are located on either end of a central horizontal shaft. The legs and seat members pivot in the hub assembly and align and nestle themselves along the shaft when stored for transport or storage. The camping stool uses a rack and pinion design to facilitate rotation of the legs and seat members within the hub assembly.

Referring now to FIG. 1 in the drawings, a frame of a camping stool is illustrated. The frame will include a material (not shown) configured to engage one or more seat members to create a defined seat and seat back. The seat back is supported by the upper seat members 103 and the seat is supported by the lower seat members 105. The seat portion may be a first material spanning the distance between lower members 105. The back portion may be a second material spanning the distance between upper members 103. The first and second material may be the same type and/or thickness and can be combined along an adjacent line or remain separate from one another. The material is not limited to a particular thickness or type. A common example can include a fabric, breathable or not.

A shaft 107 extends between hub assemblies 109 and a plurality of legs 108 extend therefrom. Members 103 and 105 extend outward from assemblies 109 at defined orientations. Shaft 107 spans between assemblies 109 and locates them on opposing ends. During operation, members 103 and 105 collapse inward along the length of shaft 107. Legs 108 also collapse in a similar manner. Members 103 are longer than members 105 and may therefor be longer than the length of shaft 107. Therefore, to allow for a full height back rest, members 103 may include a hinge configured to selectively permit the folding of member 103. The hinge may be pre-tensioned or be hyper-extended to resist buckling upon receiving weight. Once fully collapsed, legs 108 and members 105 and 103 will be oriented along the length of shaft 107 and ideally be within the distance between assemblies 109 to form a compact nestled design.

Referring now also to FIG. 2 in the drawings, an enlarged top view of hub assembly 109 is illustrated. Each leg 108 and member 103/105 is pivotally coupled to an assembly 109. Each is nestled within a track to help define a plane of rotation. A handle 111 is located on an outer surface of assembly 109 to operate a lock mechanism for the legs and seat members.

Referring now also to FIG. 3 in the drawings, a partial cut away inner view of the hub assembly 109 is illustrated. At the base of each leg 108 and member 103/105 is a rack 113. The rack 113 is aligned with a corresponding pinion 115 on shaft 107. During rotation, the legs 108 and members 103/105 rotate and travel linearly along the pinion 115.

Referring now also to FIG. 4 in the drawings, a secondary cut away view of the hub assembly 109 is illustrated. In this view, the method of locking the legs 108 and members 103/105 are shown more clearly. Handle 111 has a plurality of protrusions 116 that are configured to selectively slot into legs 108 and members 103/105. As seen in FIG. 4, the legs and members are locked into their respective deployed positions. To release, handle 111 is pulled outward so as to withdraw the protrusions 116 from the respective slots. Each of the legs and members on a single hub assembly are operable together such that a user only has to physically handle one leg, induce a movement thereon, and all legs will act together simultaneously. This works during both deployment of the legs and members and during collapsing of the legs and members. Protrusions 116 are configured to slide along a rounded base surface of each leg/member. The handle 111 is coupled to a keyed member 117 that is configured to induce a slight rotation of the legs/members during rotation. This offsets the legs/members from opposing hub assemblies to prevent overlapping.

The particular embodiments disclosed above are illustrative only, as the application may be modified and practiced in different but equivalent manners apparent to those skilled in the art having the benefit of the teachings herein. It is therefore evident that the particular embodiments disclosed above may be altered or modified, and all such variations are considered within the scope and spirit of the application. Accordingly, the protection sought herein is as set forth in the description. It is apparent that an application with significant advantages has been described and illustrated. Although the present application is shown in a limited number of forms, it is not limited to just these forms, but is amenable to various changes and modifications without departing from the spirit thereof. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A camping stool, comprising: a pair of hub assemblies each having a plurality of tracks; a shaft extending between the pair of hub assemblies, the plurality of tracks extending a length along each hub assembly and is aligned with the shaft; a plurality of seat members inserted into the plurality of tracks; and a plurality of legs inserted into the plurality of tracks void of the plurality of seat members; wherein the plurality of seat members and the plurality of legs are pivotally coupled within the plurality of tracks through a rack and pinon gear system, the track defining a plane of rotation of the plurality of seat members and the plurality of legs.
 2. The camping stool of claim 1, wherein one of the plurality of seat members includes a hinge to permit folding along its length.
 3. The camping stool of claim 1, wherein the pair of hub assemblies includes a locking mechanism configured to interlock into a base of the plurality of seat members and the plurality of legs.
 4. The camping stool of claim 3, wherein the locking mechanism is configured to translate both into and out of engagement with the base of the plurality of seat members and the plurality of legs.
 5. The camping stool of claim 1, wherein the plurality of seat members and the plurality of legs in operative communication so as to move simultaneously.
 6. The camping stool of claim 1, wherein the hub assembly includes a keyed member configured to induce a rotation during collapsing of the plurality of seat members and the plurality of legs. 